Digital-only bank, Bank Zero, has been appointed as a restricted authorised dealer in forex exchange by the South African Reserve Bank.
The new licence, according to the bank, allows Bank Zero cards to be used for international trade, enabling customers to conduct foreign purchases either online or physically.
This comes as SA’s newest digital bank finalises its preparations to officially launch to the public before the end of this year, after rolling out end-to-end live beta testing last month.
The bank, which is entirely app-driven, started its closed beta testing phase late last year, when it introduced its card go-live and rigorous health-checks, such as simulated card attacks, card fraud detection and retailer readiness among a small group of citizens.
CEO Yatin Narsai told ITWeb that the new licence is key to any South African bank card offering.
“Bank Zero’s focus is on the use of its debit cards anywhere in the world, which is what the restricted authorised dealer licence allows.
“In the digital world, the lines between local and global merchants are becoming blurred, reflecting an increasingly global village. Business and individual customers operate in a fast-moving world where it’s becoming harder and harder to discern whether a card purchase is local or foreign. Without this licence, we would’ve had to block foreign purchases – this would create customer frustration,” explains Narsai.
By Sibahle Malinga – ITWeb
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